A booster dose will help against omicron, says Pfizer scientist 1:40
(CNN) -
As the world learns more about the omicron variant of the new coronavirus and the delta variant continues to cause COVID-19 cases to surge across much of the United States, the need for booster doses becomes more Clearly never, even beyond the growing data on declining immunity from vaccines.
On Wednesday, Pfizer and BioNTech announced that preliminary laboratory studies show that a third dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine can improve protection against omicron.
The finding did not surprise Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician and visiting professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.
"The Pfizer data released this morning (Wednesday) is not surprising. Actually, this is what we have been anticipating all along, that there is good news and bad news; the bad news is that there is some degree of immune leakage, that two doses may not work as well as previous variants. But actually I think it's very good news that the third dose seems to give that really significant additional stimulant effect, "Wen, CNN medical analyst, told CNN's Ana Cabrera. Wednesday.
Pfizer / BioNTech says that two doses of the vaccine may not provide sufficient protection against the omicron variant, but three doses may neutralize it.
The importance of booster doses
"This adds more reasons for everyone to get a booster dose, certainly whoever is eligible," Wen said.
"But I also hope that our federal health officials will quickly reevaluate the definition of what it means to be fully vaccinated, especially in light of what we are learning about omicron."
advertising
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends booster doses for all adults who received their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine at least six months ago and those who received a vaccine. Johnson & Johnson for at least two months.
Eligible adults may receive a booster dose of any of the three licensed vaccines.
Mexico begins to apply booster doses of the vaccine 3:38
Vaccine manufacturers have known for months that the immunity caused by COVID-19 vaccines can wane over time, leading to the need for a booster dose.
Booster doses appear to restore immunity to its initial level.
Two separate studies in Israel published on Wednesday show that booster doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech coronavirus vaccine reduced infections up to tenfold and reduced deaths from COVID-19 by 90%.
The two studies, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, look at the effects of Israel's campaign to offer booster doses to everyone over 12 years of age with the spread of the delta variant in the summer.
While deaths and severe cases were low among fully vaccinated people, booster doses dramatically reduced them further.
This is further evidence that booster doses not only restore waning immunity, but also improve protection against emerging variants of the new coronavirus.
What counts now as a complete vaccination schedule?
The evidence has led some to suggest that the definition of being fully vaccinated should change from two doses of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine to three doses.
Pfizer / BioNTech's main coronavirus vaccine schedule should be viewed as a three-dose series rather than a two-dose series plus a booster, said Uğur Şahin, CEO of German biotech company BioNTech, during a conference of press on Wednesday.
"Particularly with the data coming in now on the omicron variant, it is very clear that our vaccine, for the omicron variant, should be a three-dose vaccine," Şahin said.
Pfizer and BioNTech are working to develop a specific vaccine for the omicron variant and say it will be available in March, if needed.
But Şahin said that even though a specific vaccine for omicron is being developed, people who are eligible for booster doses now shouldn't wait.
Poll: Senior Republicans Reject Booster Dose 0:28
Booster dose benefits
Since the benefit of a third dose of the coronavirus vaccine has become clearer in the scientific data, some public health experts wonder if the US definition of what it means to be fully vaccinated should change, while others say that changing the definition is a "big leap."
Currently, the CDC considers that people are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 two weeks after their second dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or two weeks after a single injection of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The definition of "fully vaccinated" against covid-19 would change: now it would be with three doses
CNN has reached out to the CDC for comment on updating that definition.
"I think going from solid science - which is very encouraging, I'm very happy to hear that information from Pfizer - to public policy and redefining when to get vaccinated is a big leap. Let's not make things more complicated than they are today, "Dr. William Schaffner, chair of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and liaison with CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, told Victor Blackwell and CNN's Alisyn Camerota.
'A technical definition'
"Changing the requirements of what it means to be fully vaccinated, I think, has all kinds of after-effects for all kinds of institutions in the country," he said.
"I don't think we're there yet."
But now the question is "when will the definition of fully vaccinated change, not whether it will change to include three doses," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Wednesday.
"It is a technical definition, almost semantic, and it is the definition of requirements if someone says: 'Are you fully vaccinated?', To be able to attend classes at a university or college or to be able to work in the workplace," he said. Fauci to CNN's Kate Bolduan.
He added that he does not expect the definition to change "tomorrow or next week."
CDC Approved Booster Dose Keys 1:28
Protection against coronavirus
But in terms of the protection a booster dose provides, "I don't think anyone can deny that optimal protection will be with a third injection. Whether or not it is officially changed in definition, I think it will be considered literally on a daily basis. That's always on the table, "Fauci said.
"It's going to be a question of when it will change, not whether it will."
Currently, only about a quarter (25.9%) of fully vaccinated adults in the United States have received a booster dose of the coronavirus vaccine, according to CDC data.
That percentage is an increase from the proportion of vaccinated adults who received a booster dose a month ago.
The rate of vaccination is increasing rapidly after a fall during the Thanksgiving holiday.
It was reported that an average of more than 950,000 booster doses were administered each day during the past week, representing more than half of all doses administered, according to CDC data.
But there is still room for improvement in the acceptance of the vaccine.
According to the CDC guidance, more than 144 million adults should receive a booster dose.
So far, only about 48 million adults have received one.
What about the minors
Regarding those under the age of 18, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing Pfizer / BioNTech's application for emergency authorization of covid-19 boosters for minors 16 to 18 years of age without convene its Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee (VRBPAC), according to FDA spokeswoman Abby Capobianco.
The whole world is not prepared for the next pandemic, finds a study
"The agency has previously convened the VRBPAC for extensive discussions on the use of boosters for covid-19 vaccines and has already authorized boosters for 18 and 19 year olds. After reviewing Pfizer's request, we concluded that it does not raise questions that would benefit from further discussion by committee members, "Capobianco said in an emailed statement.
Pfizer applied for an emergency booster dose clearance for this age group in late November and has already received booster dose clearance for anyone over 18 years of age.
It is unclear when a decision will be made regarding this application, but Capobianco continued in its statement: "While the FDA cannot predict how long its evaluation of the data and information will take, the agency will review the application as quickly as possible. ".
While booster doses are already being implemented in the United States, in other parts of the world the focus remains on vaccinating with the first two doses, so much so that the World Health Organization has warned against putting too much emphasis on booster doses. .
A global call to vaccinate the unvaccinated
Initial rounds of vaccination against COVID-19 remain important in combating the spread of the virus, WHO chief scientist Dr. Soumya Swaminathan said at a news conference on Wednesday.
"I think the message is loud and clear, that it is the primary course of vaccination that will protect against serious illness and death. That has to be our goal," Swaminathan said.
He added that the WHO has recommended additional doses of vaccines for immunosuppressed people.
But among the general public, "unfortunately, even in countries that have adequate supplies or more than adequate supplies, there is still a substantial proportion of people who have not been vaccinated: 30%, 40%, 50% complete the vaccination schedule" Swaminathan said.
"So booster doses, unfortunately, are probably not the solution," he said.
"At this point, the benefits that we will obtain by reaching those people who have not received primary vaccination schedules will be greater than giving additional doses to those who have already completed a primary schedule."
CNN's Deidre McPhillips, Amanda Sealy, Jamie Gumbrecht, Naomi Thomas, and Virginia Langmaid contributed to this report.
omicron
